Today's header photo captures my mood on everyone waking up this week to what's happening in Palestine. *side eye*
Did it really take a viral AI-generated image for folks to feel compassion and empathy around a genocide? Not actual photos of burnt and shot up bodies the last eight months?
I know as a Tamil I am particularly aware of genocidal campaigns but I also distinctly recall being 13 years old, standing in the gas chambers and crematoriums of Dachau, thinking, “surely, something like this could never happen again.” How naive and wrong was I then.
But honestly, how have all other genocides not motivated y'all to speak up?
Shoes On. Eyes Open.
-Sarah
weekly highlight—
Weekend Field Trips noguchi museum & wave hill
As I shared previously, I snagged a few tickets for the Noguchi Museum via Culture Pass but also managed a few tickets to Wave Hill in the Bronx. This was my first trip to Wave Hill and how magical to have a space like this just 20 minutes away from me! I fell in love with the grounds but especially the conservatory where they showcased an entire section of cacti, succulents, and tropical flora. The staff have labeled all the plants so meticulously!
Wave Hill also houses the Glyndor Gallery, which is currently exhibiting a show titled Perfect Trouble: Queering Natureculture which explores "queerness as both inherently natural and socially constructed, Perfect Trouble confronts the argument that queerness is “unnatural” while also rejecting reductive biological discussions of sexual and gender identity. The show runs thru August, in case you want to make a trip out!
Poets always manage to weave beauty into their words despite writing about some of the most horrific grief imaginable. This piece from December features a roundtable conversation of four Palestinian poets and their connection to poetry to build community within their Diaspora and its overall role in fighting genocide.
These words by Rasha Abdulhadi stood out in particular:
“Read, quote, teach, share the words of living Palestinians. Withdraw from places that benefit from or take a studied and calculated indifference to our spectacular annihilation. Do what Palestinians ask you to; stop trying to be clever or develop your own opinions about something you have spent no time studying, something you have no material stake in. If you have a material stake in Palestinian freedom: by all means speak and act clearly from that, broadcast that clarity wide and loud and elaborate it deeply. Believe in the meaning of your own life without thinking you must be a genius to matter—this is an imperial lie, a patriarchal lie, a capitalist lie, an ableist lie, a white supremacist lie, and only those who wish to support those violences benefit from you believing you have no power.”
I've been following the bird flu news for weeks now. When does the CDC plan to ring the alarm? First they said there were no issues with the contaminated milk (make sure to drink pasteurized) and days later, we learned bird flu transmission was observed in mammals. 🚨
When it comes to podcasts, I tend to gravitate towards true crime or something history related. But I was listening to a recent episode of NYC NOW and realized that I have subconsciously been ignoring local politics as a whole, thanks to Mayor Eric Adams. He always finds a way to be in front of the camera about something. When will NYC catch a break with its mayors?! Not me regretting all the shit I said about Bloomberg back in the day.
But overall great information for some hyperlocal news via these episodes. I got caught up on the pushback around the proposed Citi Field casino!
